Amr Abdullah Al-Dabbagh, the Governor of the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA), and Microsoft's CEO, Steve Ballmer, discussed possible investment opportunities for the corporation in Saudi Arabia during their meeting in Dubai recently. "Saudi Arabia is already the largest market for ICT in the Middle East. Our tech-friendly and financially fluid population, when combined with the existing level of infrastructural development and invested capital, means that the Saudi market is destined to continue growing. SAGIA's focus on ICT as one of its key sectors for promotion presented an ideal background against which to hold a meeting with Microsoft to ascertain its future business expansion plans and highlight the various investment opportunities available in the Kingdom," explained Dr. Abdulaziz A. Jazzar, SAGIA's ICT sector leader. Saudi Arabia has the right indicators in place to transform into an information based society. Mobile telephone users have doubled nearly every year since the 1980's when the technology first entered the market and the number of fixed operating lines has been increasing at a minimum rate of 10 percent per year. The hardware market has grown consistently by 20 percent over the last five years. Internet penetration has had corresponding growth, including incorporation of the latest technology at every stage. In Saudi Arabia, nearly all small-to-medium to large-scale enterprises use PCs, and 82 percent of these are equipped with dedicated servers. The country is poised to experience technology growth. "Microsoft is committed to working with the governments in the region and aims to develop initiatives that improve access to technology, creating opportunities for communities, and driving local economic activities through ICT tailored to suit the needs of each country. We are pleased with the outcome of the meeting and look forward to exploring investment opportunities with the authority in the future", said Khaled Al-Daher, Microsoft's general manager for Microsoft Saudi Arabia, in a statement published today by Arab News.
